Searches at "Gorbushka": law enforcement officers are clearing out illegal crypto exchangers
At the legendary Moscow market "Gorbushka," large-scale operational and investigative measures continue for a second day. According to my information, the focus is on suppressing the activities of a network of illegal digital currency exchange points that were based directly on the territory of the shopping complex.
Law enforcement officers are working in the pavilions and service areas of the complex. According to preliminary data, large sums of cash, documents, and electronic equipment have already been seized during the searches. Employees of the illegal exchange services are blocked inside the premises, and investigative actions are being conducted with them on site. Part of the complex's territory is cordoned off, and information about detainees has not yet been disclosed.
Two "Gorbushkas" and one goal
It is important to clarify: the measures are taking place at the "New Gorbushka" — the adjacent building of the "Gorbushkin Dvor" complex, which moved from the Gorbunov Palace of Culture to the territory of the Rubin plant in the 2000s. It was there, according to the investigation, that shadow exchange points operated for several years.
This is already the second major blow to illegal crypto exchange in recent weeks. Earlier, the FSB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs shut down the operations of nine illegal exchange offices in the Moscow City business center, detaining more than 20 people. It then turned out that Ukrainian call centers used these platforms to launder money stolen from Russian citizens. According to the investigation, criminal cases were opened for fraud on an especially large scale.
Systematic market cleanup
Pay attention to the chronology: the searches in Moscow City took place three days after the signing of the law on basic cryptocurrency regulation. The main provisions of the document come into force on September 1, 2026, but existing businesses are given a transition period until July 2027. Nevertheless, law enforcement officers are clearly not waiting for formal dates — they are already demonstrating that shadow exchange offices have no place in the legal market.
This is a clear signal for all market participants: gray schemes will be burned out with a hot iron. Legalization is the only path, and those who fail to adapt by September risk not only losing their business but also facing real prison sentences. The crypto exchange market in Russia is finally emerging from the shadows, and this process will only accelerate.